Glassware packages for displaying items of glassware such as drinking glasses generally are formed from a single sheet of foldable material which is folded to form the package. The packages include top and bottom walls interconnected by a pair of end walls. The top and bottom walls include retaining panels which are adapted to receive and retain the glassware which is to be displayed. The retaining panels have openings for receiving the glassware items and retaining them therein, while allowing a substantial portion of the glassware items to be displayed, through the open front and back of the package.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,391 discloses a glassware package having top and bottom walls which include panels for retaining the glassware within the package. The end walls of this package are flat planar panels which interconnect the top and bottom walls. These end panels, however, would not provide enough support to prevent the top and bottom walls from being collapsed toward each other during handling. Furthermore, the package may "tilt", that is, the top and bottom walls may move sideways relative to each other with the package flexing at the lines of connection between the end walls and the top and bottom walls. Also, the single layer end panels are susceptible to bending, which detracts from the appearance and the strength of the package.
A glassware package of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,391 will generally have identifying and display material on the package. The package may, for example, have a foil coating or may have a coating of ink to provide a package of a certain color. The package also will generally have information such as the names of the product and of the manufacturer printed thereon. It is desirable to be able to first perform all coating and printing on one side only of an unfolded blank, then fold the blank to form the finished package. However, if a blank as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,391 is coated or printed only on one side and folded to form the package with the coated or printed side out, then the inner sides of the end panels are formed of the uncoated or unprinted side of the blank. This does not provide as uniform an appearance as is desired and does not allow for printing on the inner sides of the end walls.